114 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
than OC. cyanostigma, and occasionally met with in the woods away ; 
from water.’ Mr. Ayres also writes :—“'These birds feed entirely 
on butterflies and insects caught on the wing; they frequent the 
dense bush, and are often seen along the streams, but never catch 
fish.” Although not recorded by Dr. Kirk in his Essay on the — 
Birds of the Zambesi region, a specimen from that locality was in ~ 
the Editor’s collection, and it doubtless occurs there, as it has been 
found by Bianconi in Mozambique. 
Adult.—Crown of the head black, barred with rich ultramarine ; 
a line of feathers extending from the base of the nostrils backward 
over the eye, cheeks, sides and back of the head rich lilac rufous; 
a patch of feathers behind the ear rich ultramarine ; throat white; 
rest of the under surface of the body bright orange red; bill rich 
coral red ; feet red ; irides dark brown. ‘Total length, 4 inches; of 
bill from front, 0°9; from gape, 1:1; wing, 2°1; tail, 0-9; tarsus, 
0:25 ; middle toe, 0°4; hind toe, 0°2. 
Fig. Sharpe, Monogr. Alced. pl. 52. 
108. Hatcyon sEMIC@RULEA. African white-headed Kingfisher. ; 
Haleyon Swainsonii, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 63. 
This species has the bill red, but may be told at once by its 
whitish head from the rest of its African congeners. 
Sir Andrew Smith stated that this Kingfisher was an inhabitant 
of the interior of South Africa, but there is every reason to believe 
that he described a West African skin. At all events no specimen 
of his collecting exists in any museum that we are aware of, and it 
remains to be rediscovered as an inhabitant of South Africa proper. 
Its only claim to a position in this book rests upon its occurrence in 
South Western Africa, a specimen having been obtained at Ondonga 
by the late Mr. Andersson, while Senor Anchieta has also procured 
it on the Cunene River and at Gambos in Mossamedes. Mr. Mon- 
teiro also collected a specimen in Benguela. 
Male.—Head and neck greyish white, purer on the latter, the head 
showing the shafts of the feathers rather strongly; back and scapulars 
and wing-coverts glossy black ; lower part of the back, rump and 
upper tail coverts rich glistening cobalt; primary coverts cobalt 
shaded with black ; quills black, the inner web white for more than 
half its length, the outer web, especially of the secondaries, broadly 
edged with brilliant cobalt, extending nearly the entire length of the 
-— 
pacheemmenenrnetnen 
i ee oe ee 
erm 5 
oe 
A 
BR 
Rt Ee 
